Green thumb is itching, anyone else?

[harveyhorses]

I amend my beds every winter with a good compost/manure (aged and chemical free) I have soaker hoses down and water when it gets really hot, no rain for a day or two or as I feel they need it. I am wondering if the manure was not as eco friendly as before. Maybe they grazed on a treated field, but it is just the one bed. They are all IND. (don't make me spell it!) the DET. ones are in a new bed and huge compared to these. Maybe I missed this bed over the winter. Just perplexing. Dagnabitt! They look fine, no wilt, no yellow leaves, no blooms either. maybe by Christmas.

 

[rancher hicks]

I amend my beds every winter with a good compost/manure (aged and chemical free) I have soaker hoses down and water when it gets really hot, no rain for a day or two or as I feel they need it. I am wondering if the manure was not as eco friendly as before. Maybe they grazed on a treated field, but it is just the one bed. They are all IND. (don't make me spell it!) the DET. ones are in a new bed and huge compared to these. Maybe I missed this bed over the winter. Just perplexing. Dagnabitt! They look fine, no wilt, no yellow leaves, no blooms either. maybe by Christmas.

I have TWO beds like this. I've tried tomatoes and beans in one and tomatoes and peppers in the other.

One is 4X4 and got nothing planted in it this year. I covered it with card board last fall and it still is. I intend to clean all soil out and refill it. I'm not sure why but surmise it's just not deep enough and the soil is no good. I did not fill this one with garden soil and compost. Nothing has ever grown good in it. These two beds are shallower than most. About 6" deep.

The other is a 2X4 and now has Rhubarb in it. The Rhubarb is doing great.

If your soil is gray/grey, I'd say it's dead. Check for worms. In this case you need to add lots and lots of composted manure. While peat moss offers no nutritious value, it does help regulate water and air around plants roots. ( I looked this up).

My guess is that my 4X4 bed is not aerated enough.

 

[wyoDreamer]

When we decided to put in a small area of front yard, we amended our soil with composted steer manure, mushroom compost and peat moss. Lots of peat moss. I looked at what we were digging up as we put in the sprinkler system, and realized there was basically zero organics to hold the little water we get annually. Our yard is as good as all the others in the neighborhood, and we only use about 1/3 the water to keep it that way.

My hubby is also pro-mulching now that he sees how good the flower garden is doing since I added 3" of mulch. I finally got to him try it by saying how nice it would look with the soil covered in wood chip mulch, my motives were water retention, ease in weeding and wind protection for the soil.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have been using chicken cleanings to mulch around trees or areas I want cleared. I weed whack things down as far as I can and then dump the shavings and poop. It gets wet and then the chickens come along and scratch it all up.

Of course they scratch where I don't want too. Then I need to circle it with poultry wire.

 

[rancher hicks]

I circle all my berry and bushes with chicken wire, now I'm considering uncircleing them after harvest is over so the chickens can scratch around the base and kill the weeds.

Any thoughts on my idea?

 

[queenchick16]

Morning All,
Rancher, how's your wife?
Rancher, if you are talking blueberry bushes, I'd say NO. Their root system is very close to the surface and very shallow. The birds would do damage. As far as my thornless blackberries, the girls eat the leaves. The leave the raspberries alone. Can't say about my currants.

Having some harvest down here. Need to get my fall plants in the ground.just not enough hours in the day

Keep on diggin

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning All,
Rancher, how's your wife?
Rancher, if you are talking blueberry bushes, I'd say NO. Their root system is very close to the surface and very shallow. The birds would do damage. As far as my thornless blackberries, the girls eat the leaves. The leave the raspberries alone. Can't say about my currants.

Having some harvest down here. Need to get my fall plants in the ground.just not enough hours in the day

Keep on diggin

My wife is doing okay. Finished first four rounds of chemo. Sees doc on next. Having a hard time being not going any where. Can't be around lots of people.

I don't have blueberries, but have currants and raspberries. My raspberries aren't doing good. My girls jump and eat the berries and will clear the currants before they're red.

I keep planting in different areas of the place figure at some point I'll find the right spot.

 

[rancher hicks]

check

 

[Kassaundra]

Thought I would share my idea for free (upcycled) self watering seed starters or plant containers.

Start w/ a plastic bottle, any size will do

Cut the top off the depth you want your plant pot

Take your favorite ice cream store's paper bag. (this is ness if you want ice cream)

Measure a double thickness of the bag the depth you will need. You will need the paper to go nearly to the bottom of the bottom bottle and up an inch or more into the top bottle.

Roll it up and stick it through the cap hole like this.

Fill the top part w/ your favorite potting soil, and the bottom w/ water.

Watch your seeds grow, this is passion flower.

Shaped bottles can look really nice. You can spray paint the bottle w/ that krylon plastic paint (or anything that will stick) if you want a fancier opaque finish, like for potted plants (think African violets) instead of temporary garden seed starting.


You can use any size bottle.

 

[rancher hicks]

Here in NY we have deposit bottles. It would mean giving up 5cents per bottle.